The doctor
nodded...“She will be, she will be physically be okay in time...but emotionally, she's quite frail...”

Arnav felt pins and
needles strike him as he listened to what the doctor had to say...

"...attempted
rape...preliminary tests...cuts and contusions from a deadly weapon...bruised ribs and breasts...aggravated vaginal walls...drugs in her system...bleeding..."
"Stop..." Arnav rasped out, his stomach threatening to explode..."Please...My God...Stop..."
The Doctor waited...
"She will make it through this Mr. Raizada..."
Arnav swayed slightly and the Doctor grabbed onto his arm, "Sir?"
"I can't bear this...that's my wife...my wife...and...and she's...that woman I love...and...and I caused this..."
Firming his voice, the doctor spoke, "Your wife was rescued by YOU. She WILL make it through...you saved her before she was actually raped Mr. Raizada!"

Arnav staggered back and shoved the heels of his hands into his eyes.

But the black images
danced behind his eyelids.

Shyam had beaten
her, almost raped her...like a fucking animal.

Rage and fury roared
through him, beating him into a red haze.

Blindly, he swung
out and punched the wall.

The drywall gave
with a satisfying thud against his knuckles.

He bit down on his
clawing temper and leaned his forehead against the wall.

He’d failed her.

Again.

Him and his stupid
twisted loyalties to his sister...

He had been betrayed
by one sibling, and that had clouded his judgement...he didn't want to lose
another family member...

But in that process,
he'd completely abandoned the one person he swore he would NEVER abandon.

While she was beaten
and terrorized, he’d been mollycoddling his sister.

The doctor placed a
hand on his shoulder, "You showed
up at the right time...You saved her..."

His bloodshot eyes
lifted to the doctor..."Can I see her?...I mean...does she want to see
me?"

"She hasn't
spoken much...we told her that we would send you in...and she didn't
respond..."

Arnav felt bleak..."I don't
know...I...She's been hurt before, and I ...I don't know how to face her...I
let this happen again..." his anger and helplessness was making his heart
thud hard.

“Listen. She needs
you right now. Sure she needs care, love, gentleness, but more than anything or anyone, she needs
you... Don’t let your anger at this bastard scare her into a corner...” The
doctor told him...“She needs you.”

As the doctor walked
away, Arnav stared through the glass of the room's door.

She didn't even look
up as he entered...
The door closed quietly behind him and he forced himself to walk closer...

He sat down beside
her, unsure of what to say...nothing seemed worthy enough...

Gently, he reached for her hand...
As he touched her, she flinched and gasped out in pain...

His tears hit her
hand..."K...Khu...Khushi...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry sweetheart..."

She could feel him
trembling, or maybe it was her.

It didn’t matter.

She felt dirty...disgusting...

She pushed him away,
and brought the blanket up with her hands to shield her face.

Out of the corner of
her eye, she saw him raise his hand to uncover her, and she cowered away, frightened...

“Khushi...no...please...please...I would never...” he moaned in anguish..."I would never hit you...no...never..."

She was still so cold, she couldn’t stop shaking.

Her head shook back and forth.

“Don’t touch me. Don’t look at me,

Carefully and slowly, she pulled
her hands down.

Her head was still
turned away.

He saw the white
butterfly bandage on her forehead, the dark bruise contrasting around it, the
large knot bumping under the contused skin.

“Khushi..." his
voice became choked...

Slowly, she turned her face to his, her every nerve stinging...

Her eyes rose
to his and he felt his world tilt, quake and shatter.

Oh my God...

The entire right
side of her face was bruised, swollen and red.

Dark purple marks
colored her jawline.

Gently, he lifted his hand to softly touch her cheek, but at her grimace he let go.
He couldn't speak.I let this happen...I let...my God...my heart...I'm breaking inside...

She cleared her
throat and averted her eyes... “I...I need to take a shower.”

Trying to sit up,
her shoulders seized up in pain and he reached out to help her, but she
flinched further away.

“D-don’t. Please
don’t—don’t touch me.”

The words sank home.

No. No. God, no. "Khushi, I just want to help you...please let me...please, I'm...I'm literally dying inside...I need to help you..."
Pushing her body up off the bed, she began to cry as the pain thundered through her..."Ugh, God Khushi I can't just stand here...I need to help you...""No...don't...I can...I can take care of...of myself..."

Khushi turned to
walk to the bathroom and stopped in the door frame.

She stood in front
of the mirror.

Arnav saw her
reflection, the shock on her face.

Her trembling hand
rose to her face...

Arnav swallowed
hard.

The bandage around
her wrist flashed at him.

Her other hand came
up and the blanket that she was wrapped in, dropped to the ground.

HOLY SHIT!!!!
What he saw made him
stand up in horror...He could barely hold himself back...

Her neck was
scratched and scraped.

A bandage wrapped
around both wrists and her upper arm.
Her breasts were bruised, scratched...

Tears trickled over
her cheeks.

He slowly walked
towards her...

Abraded and
bruised...THAT shook him, made him fist his hands at his sides.

He saw the fear, the
anger in depths of her eyes.

“He did this to...to me—he—he . . . oh...oh...no...” She
swayed.

Arnav moved and
caught her before she crumpled to the floor.

Rage pounded through
him.

Disbelief warred
with the bruised and battered woman in his arms.

Her body shook so
badly, so deeply...

"Shhhhh Khushi...I'm here...I love you...I'm here...you're going to be okay...I swear on my life..." He held her, gentled his voice even though he
wanted to yell.

She stiffened,
pushed away from him... “Don’t—don’t touch me! Don’t! I just want to take a shower. I have to get
him off. I can’t . . . I don’t . . .” Arnav desperately reached out, but dropped his hands
back when she shook her head and stepped away, her entire countenance emanating pure terror...

All he could do was
watch helplessly as she took small steps to the door of her rooms.

He fisted his hands
at his sides until they shook, bit down till his teeth hurt.

At her door, she
stopped...her whimpering showing her pain...Arnav couldn't take it...He stayed planted to his spot on the ground, but begged her..."Please...I need to do something...I need to...Khushi...I..." He felt himself becoming insane with grief...

Without turning, she said, “Clothes...can you get me some clothes?”

Arnav could see her
trembling with agony and rushed forwards...“Yes...ofcourse...Anything. Anything you want. Anything you need.”

She nodded.
“Clothes. I need some clothes. He—he ripped...my...my . . . I need some.”
Going silent, she stepped back into the bathroom and shut the door.

Sprinting to the
cupboard that was in to the side of the room, he found plain white cotton pants
and a shirt...

Bringing them to the bathroom door just as fast, he tapped gently... "I have some clothes here for you, do you want me
to..."

"Please...just
...just leave them there..."

Her breaking voice
made him want to beat his chest in sorrow...

Before he could say
anything else he heard the lock click, and the shower turn on...

...........................

The scalding water
filled the bathroom with so much steam she couldn’t see herself in the mirror.

Just as well.

She didn’t want to
see.

Didn’t want to see
the bruises, the cuts, the marks he left on her.
No...
NO...
NO!

"No...I won't let
this break me...I won't..." she whispered to herself..."I refuse to let this
break me...but...but I have to get him off me...I have to get him off..."

The skin on her arms
was pink, almost raw from the pumice stone she’d used, and the entire bar of
soap.

And still she
scrubbed.

"I need to get
his touch off me..."

The water heated her
already reddened skin.

She’d taken off the
wet gauze from her wrists.

The spray bit into
the raw skin, stinging at first, until it grew numb.

Water ran off her
hair, down her face. She stared at the cream tiles, the steam so thick on them,
water trailed down.

A sob choked her,
tore out of her throat.

She leaned back,
slid down the wet wall.

With her knees to
her chest, she bowed her head and tried to stop the tears that washed away her
shame as uselessly as the hot water beating unmercifully down on her.

.........

Arnav sat on the
bed...
Shame, guilt, and pain was encompassing his heart.

He thought of
nothing but Khushi...

Yeah, NOW you
want to give her your attention...after failing her like this!

His phone rang, interrupting his inner arguement...
He answered...“Yes Nani?”

“Chote? Did you find
her?”

Arnav sighed and
thought about what to say, what not to say.

Taking a deep breath
he spoke... “Yeah,I—uh—yeah, I found her.”

“Oh, thank God. We
have all been worried sick. Anjali has just delivered her baby and is asking
for you. Payal is asking questions...But I know . . .” His Nani's voiced trailed off until she spoke louder..."CHOTE?"
"What...?"

“I know something
happened. Tell me she’s okay.”

Closing his eyes, he
blinked his pain over his cheeks...“She... she will be. . .”

"Anjali is
fine, she had a beautiful little girl...she has been asking if you would
come...”

He stood up fast, his face now expressing a violent characteristic..."NO!" he
all but yelled.

"Chote, she
said for you to come, only when you're ready to..."

“As
long as you're there, I know she's safe...Please tell Payal that Akash is fine,
but there is...more to be said at another time, just keep her with you...” he
said, not knowing how to explain it all.

“Okay, Let me talk
to Khushi,” Nani said.

He rolled his neck...“She’s...she can't talk at the moment.... She's in the shower...When she gets out, there are some questions that
need clearing up and then . . .”

“What exactly
happened to her?” she carefully asked.

Hell.

“I—it. Nani, the
police are still here and want to question us, I'll call back when they've
finished...” He needed to get off... “I’ll call you back in a bit. Bye,
Nani...”

With that, he hung
up and puffed out a sigh...

Silence settled
again.

He looked back at
the door.

Was she all right? He glanced down at his watch...It's been nearly an hour!

Panic began to flood
him...

He knocked at the
bathroom door...

Nothing...

Again he knocked.

“Khushi?
Sweetheart?! You're scaring me! Please talk to me!”

Still nothing...

This time he knocked
harder.

Perhaps she needed
the time alone....

No.

He’d left her alone
before and look what he’d allowed to happen...

He heard the water
spraying in a constant uninterrupted stream.

He frowned at the
door, ran a hand through his hair.

If she were in the
shower, wouldn’t he hear the change in the water?

But there was not a
single sound.

She might hate him,
but be damned, he had to know she was all right.

He pulled at the
handle ferociously and broke it off, releasing the lock..